Heloise: Shoppers benefit from August sales

Dear Readers: August is back-to-school time for many, and also is a great time for shopping and for sales! Transitioning from summer to fall, retailers want to get rid of summertime items, which is great for consumers! What’s going on sale right now?

■ Dorm furniture (crates, etc.)

■ Computers, especially laptops

■ Backpacks

■ School supplies for younger students, like paper, glue sticks and folders

■ Craft supplies

■ Camping and outdoor athletic equipment

■ Bathing suits

■ Patio furniture

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: My mother-in-law recently passed away, and we are working on thank-you cards for everything that was done for her service.

If you go to a funeral and there’s a sign-in book, please leave your address, not just your name. There are a lot of people who came to Mom’s service and did something, so we want to send them a thank-you. However, after sharing our list with other family members and looking up people online, we still don’t have addresses for some. — Amy in Norfolk, Va.

Hi, Heloise: My dad has passed along great wisdom. My favorite is “Always know three ways to get anywhere.” Dad grew up in war-torn Europe, where you didn’t always know if the road you intended to take would be there. But the “three ways” wisdom — which my children have now inherited — applies today when it comes to not getting stuck in traffic. That one bit of wisdom has saved each of us countless hours of otherwise wasted time at a dead stop on the interstate. — John in Universal City

And saves gas (money), too! — Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 210-HELOISE or email it to heloise@heloise.com.